ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FB) Review — a robust work companion

Not all ASUS ExpertBooks are as cutting edge as the ExpertBook B7 Flip, packed to the gills with connectivity options, or the ExpertBook B9, which is a clear exercise in minimalism. Today we are checking out the ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FB). Something for the everyman, so to speak. With that said, I am pretty sure that this business laptop will tick most of the boxes for you, even though it may not have the huge headlining features like its pricier brethren.

ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip — What’s Good?

Sturdy build quality

One has to take into account that 2-in-1 convertibles have to accommodate a sturdier hinge and a glass screen covering to facilitate the touch capabilities, which add to the weight. As with most of the higher-end ExpertBooks, ASUS used magnesium-aluminum for the lid, which helped shave off a precious few grams from the overall heft of the ExpertBook B5 Flip, without compromising the rigidity of the chassis.

Similar to its other ExpertBook siblings, the ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FB) meets the rigorous MIL-STD 810H durability standards, ensuring that everyday jolts and the occasional drops will not faze it. The ability to run RAID 1 configurations also ensures that not only the physical construction is reliable, but you can also rest easy every night by having a perfect 1:1 copy of your data at all times.

Easily upgradeable

Speaking of which, the brilliant engineers at ASUS managed to find room in the compact ExpertBook B5 Flip for not just two M.2 slots, but also a DDR5 SO-DIMM slot. This is a pretty good inclusion for a business laptop, as they usually end up having longer life cycles than consumer laptops. With all that talk of sustainability, especially in regard to its commercial ExpertBook series, it’s nice to have some form of futureproofing in the form of upgradeability. And oh, I would like to bring attention to how this laptop is somehow the easiest to open up, with very few fiddly plastic clips to deal with.

Full set of full-sized ports

ASUS managing to cram a full-sized HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a standard USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port in pretty much everything never ceases to amaze me. To be honest, it also baffles me, as ASUS also goes with this exact same set of ports with much larger machines like the Zenbook Pro 16X OLED. Heck, this laptop even one-ups its larger brethren with built-in LAN, although you do need the included dongle to use it. I dare say that ASUS covered most of the bases with the great selection of I/O featured on the ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FB).

Good battery life

As a business-oriented machine, I am not surprised to see ASUS tune the ExpertBook B5 Flip towards efficiency and reliability. The battery life here is pretty good, with over 10 hours clocked in PCMark. In real-world usage, I could get around 7-8 hours if I was using it for some light tasks like browsing the web or working on presentations. And since it supports USB-C charging, you can easily use any charger like the ones from Ugreen to keep all your devices juiced up with just one power adapter.

Reliable performance

Usually when we talk about performance, we always talk about how great or how terrible it is. So what’s “reliable performance”? One thing that I learned as I reviewed ASUS’ ExpertBooks lineup is that the way they tune the performance here is really different from their usual consumer-oriented lineup. Instead of going for all-out performance at the expense of thermals and longevity, we see the processor here averaging below 70°C at 21W of power draw. This is quite unlike how the Vivobook 15X OLED is tuned, whereby the processor pulls 47.72W on average with temperatures of 94°C, average.

ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip — What’s Not?

Thicker than many ultraportables in its class

Coming in at 16.9mm, it’s still quite thin, but not nearly as thin as some of the other ASUS laptops we have checked out. The tapered edges do help to make the thickness less noticeable, but you will surely realize that it’s a fair bit bulkier than other 13-inch machines once you hold the ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FB). I guess the extra thickness is required to accommodate the nice set of I/O as well as the extra RAM slot within, which are oftentimes lacking in most of the thinner options. A fair trade, I guess.

Included stylus does not have stowage

I believe this is a concession due to its size. The 13-inch ExpertBook B5 Flip lacks stowage for its included stylus, while the 14-inch version touts a garaged stylus. What it does have is a magnetic attachment to the lid, although I doubt that this is secure enough for even shuttling between meeting rooms. I still think a business laptop should have proper stowage for its pen, if one is included. On the bright side, ASUS threw in the ASUS Pen which is MPP 2.0 compatible. This is a nice pen with enough girth for a more comfortable grip. Just make sure to keep it away safely when you are done using it.

ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FBA) Specifications

ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip — should you buy this?

Priced at RM5,599, this is worth getting if you are in the market for a robust work companion. The ASUS ExpertBook B5 Flip (B5302FB) is far more wallet-friendly than the ExpertBooks we checked out previously, and yet you get the same Windows 11 Pro, MIL-STD 810H durability and extensive warranty coverage. Coming out of the box touting a 3-year global warranty with local onsite coverage, 3-year battery warranty and 1-year accidental damage protection, you are getting a lot of peace of mind with this machine.

Yeah, there are a few drawbacks here and there, but if you don’t mind its slightly thicker profile and can take care of the stylus, this is a solid option. Okay, so you are sold on the ExpertBook B5 Flip. But then you want a larger screen, or you want a regular laptop, sans the 360-degree hinge? The ExpertBook B5 series comes in both convertible and regular laptop form factors, in both 13-inch and 14-inch sizes. The 14-inch options get beefier 12th Gen Intel Core P-series processors too, which is worth considering if you need more horsepower under the hood.

A larger screen? A beefier processor?

Since we are on the topic of options, here are some. Wanna save some moolah? The 14-inch ExpertBook B5 (non-Flip) comes in at RM5,199, a good RM400 saving. It’s also 80 grams lighter, while packing a more powerful Intel Core i5-1240P processor. Interesting, huh? It isn’t without its drawbacks though: the display is rated for a mere 250 nits and 45% NTSC, which is suited for little more than productivity tasks. Alternatively, you can also top up for the 14-inch ExpertBook B5 Flip at RM5,699. With this, you get an even better 400-nit display, beefier Intel Core i5-1240P processor, and a garaged stylus, at just 50g extra. There’s even a 16-inch ExpertBook B5 Flip, but that’s a bit pricier than the other ExpertBook B5s mentioned above. Options aplenty in the ExpertBook B5 series, you just need to know what you want/need.

For more info about these laptops:

• 13-inch ExpertBook B5 Flip: https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/For-Work/ExpertBook/Expertbook-B5-Flip-B5302F-12th-Gen-Intel/
• 13-inch ExpertBook B5: https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/For-Work/ExpertBook/Expertbook-B5-B5302-12th-Gen-Intel/
• 14-inch ExpertBook B5 Flip: https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/For-Work/ExpertBook/Expertbook-B5-Flip-B5402F-12th-Gen-Intel/
• 14-inch ExpertBook B5: https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/For-Work/ExpertBook/Expertbook-B5-Flip-B5402C-12th-Gen-Intel/
• 16-inch ExpertBook B5 Flip: https://www.asus.com/laptops/for-work/expertbook/expertbook-b5-flip-b5602f-12th-gen-intel/
• 16-inch ExpertBook B5: https://www.asus.com/laptops/for-work/expertbook/expertbook-b5-b5602-12th-gen-intel/